In the afternoon, the Gyalwa Karmapa performed Minling Dor-sem Dung-drub puja composed by Jamgon Lodro Thaye in the main shrine hall where the Kudung was placed. All the Rinpoches and monks of Mindrolling monastery attended the puja with His Holiness.

Just before arriving at the monastery His Holiness was received by Khandro Rinpoche, Khorchen Rinpoche, and Sakya Gya-yum Chenmo, welfare officer of Dickyiling Tibetan Settlement, as well as representatives of monasteries and  associations at the Ponta Sahib border of Uttranchal.

His Holiness was welcomed by all the Tibetan people of the Clement Town Tibetan camp, international devotees and the sanghas with their Serbang. Sang-yum Sonam Peldon offered a welcome Khata to His Holiness when he arrived at the main monastery. Later Khandro Rinpoche, Khorchen Rinpoche and Poe-nam Tulku presented a a Body, Speech and Mind offering.

His Holiness the Gyalwang Karmapa will preside over the Gyawa Gyatso puja which started on the February 24th and will last for one week, in the Lhabab Choe-ten shrine hall of Mindrolling Monastery. More then 20 monks has specially came from Rumtek to perform this puja.

In the morning of 24th Feb, at 7:30 am His Holiness performed prays at the Kudhung in the main shrine hall of Mindrolling Monastery. then later presided over the Gyawa Gyatso puja.

In the morning of Losar, His Holiness presided over prayers in the main shrine hall. All the monks of Gyuto, staff of Tsurphu Labrang, and many devotees attended the prayers. Ceremonial sweet rice and Tibetan tea were offered by Gyuto Monastery to all who have gathered here for the Losar ceremony. Gyuto Khen-Rinpoche offered a mandala to His Holiness. The ceremony was concluded with the blessings from His Holiness to all who have gathered.

The staff of Tsurphu Labrang had a private audience with His Holiness.

Later in the evening His Eminence Tai Situ Rinpoche arrived at Gyuto Monastery to wish His Holiness 'Tashi Delek' for Losar and they had dinner together.

When his travel and study schedule permits, His Holiness holds public audiences in Sidbhari at Gyuto Tantric College for which prior appointments are not necessary. The public audiences usually include a brief teaching granted during the audience time. The typical schedule for his public audiences is between 2:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., Wednesday and Saturday. His Holiness currently holds regular public audiences on those days. The interviews take place at the temporary Kagyu camp at the Gyuto Tantric University near Dharamsala.

To make an audience appointment, please contact:
1.      Lama Phuntsok, Private Secretary Cell phone: 91-9816474363
2.      Thubten Sherab, Secretary (audience) Cell phone: 91-9418294401
audience2karmapa@gmail.com,  cro2karmapa@yahoo.com

The Gyalwa Karmapa's talk to the school:

"This is my third visit to this school and I am very happy to be welcomed by all of you, students and teachers. I am very happy that you have built this temple where people of all different religions can come and pray to their own god. I am someone who practices Dharma and I think that it is extremely wonderful to have such a good fortune.

I think this period when you are young is very important. You have a wonderful opportunity that you might not ever get again. Using this time when you are young to develop good intentions for yourself and to think about peace and happiness in this world will make your human life into something necessary and desirable. If you develop a good heart now, such thoughts will accompany you throughout your whole life, and you will naturally help to bring about world peace.

There are two main things that make us improve our human lives. One is to improve our lives because we are afraid of something terrible and the other is to improve ourselves because we see that it will help us. These days it is as if these two things are competing with each other. The world is now in a technological age and this brings huge changes to the world. When we look at the news, we can clearly see how this brings a lot of violence and suffering to people. This can be terrifying. At the same time, the world has had a lot of economic development, but our minds become fixated upon money and we pointlessly lose our happiness and independence. So it is very important to see the benefits of developing mental peace and happiness, and of getting good education, and then because of that to improve ourselves.

I have a hope and prayer in my heart that all of you in this school will study well, and that you all will help each other in your studies and in becoming good people. I hope that you all experience such good fortune. I also pray that you have good health while you are studying and that each of you will be protected by the god in whom you have faith.

I am very happy that whenever I come to Saranath, I can visit this school and meet so many students. This is because we are about the same age, and we all have modern ways of thinking. We speak different languages and come from different countries, so when we look at each other it might seem like we are far apart, but I hope that we can see how we are the same in our age and in having modern ways of thinking. That is why I pray that for my part, I will always be able to support you and have affection for you."

The Gyalwa Karmapa joined the assembly for the short second session during which the Heart Sutra and Prostrations and Offerings to the Sixteen Elders among other brief prayers were chanted. The main event of the morning was the alms procession. The gelongs and gelongmas, wearing chogos and namjars, began assembling under the bodhi tree at 10 a.m. in their monastic order. Gyaltsab Rinpoche led the procession followed by Mingyur Rinpoche, Khenpo Lodro Donyo Rinpoche, Ringu Tulku Rnpoche, and other senior rinpoches and lamas. The first hundred or so gelongs carried in their right hands the traditional monk's staff, which they tapped on the ground as they walked, making the metal rings sound. Behind the gelongs came the gelongmas, the first one of which also carried the traditional staff. A group of Korean bhikshunis followed. Each monk and nun also carried a large grey metal begging bowl in their left hands.

The procession made its way slowly around the outer circuit to the main entrance gate where the alms round began. From the gate, across the plaza and down the main road, the route was lined with people from different regions and countries, standing on the right-hand side, each offering fruit, nuts, biscuits, packs of namkeen, and other food. Some people touched their malas and bunches of protection cords to the bowls in order to receive the blessings of the sangha, as they made their way down to the Rose Park. The begging bowls had to be emptied every few meters because the donors were so generous and enthusiastic. All the food was collected and distributed in large bags to the sangha after the noon meal. On the grass in the Rose Park the monks and nuns sat in silent ordered lines, overseen by the Gyalwa Karmapa and were served by Chinese Buddhist volunteers. For the ordained sangha, the experience of making the alms round is very humbling. The Gyalwa Karmapa's revival of this ancient Buddhist tradition into the Kagyu lineage is a historic and significant move for the continuation of the sangha and the time-honored relationship between ordained and lay disciples.

In the afternoon final session, the assembly chanted the Lama Chopa ritual composed by Pal Gyalwa Karmapa in 2005. There was a tsok offering with elaborate tormas offered to His Holiness and the rinpoches, and hundreds of bags of food offerings handed out to every member of the assembly.

A special ceremony followed, to thank the sponsors who were gathered in front of Gyalwa Karmapa's throne, during which he expressed his gratitude and appreciation for their sponsorship and offered his blessings for their well-being in this and future lives. His Holiness then gave a brief talk on three topics: vegetarianism, protecting the environment, and dress codes for sangha and laypeople, especially emphasizing that the dress of monastic and non-monastic should be distinguishable from each other, so that it should be clear who belongs to which group.

Finally, to the rousing chant of many tashi auspicious prayers, His Holiness the Karmapa waved a white kata and the assembly returned the gesture waving thousands of white katas in the air. His Holiness changed this tradition in 2004, so that participants no longer throw their katas towards the throne, but hold onto them and wave them in the air. The reason for this is to keep the environment clean and show proper respect.

Marme Monlam: After a short break, everyone returned to the stupa at 7:00 p.m. for the lamp offering ceremony, Marme Monlam, the closing session of the International Kagyu Monlam. Battery-operated candles were distributed to the lay people, while the gelongs and gelongmas carried small lotus lights. The Gyalwa Karmapa, flanked by Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and Gyaltsab Rinpoche sat facing the bodhi tree.

The prayers began with the All-Pervading Benefit of Beings, followed by the same Sanskrit prayers that have been chanted each morning by the assembly. The Korean bhikshuni choir then sonorously chanted The Five Fragrances and Seven Prostrations, and a group of Chinese bhikshus and bhikshunis chanted the Ten-Direction Prayer. Everyone then joined together with a choir of western disciples to chant Ah! World, a song composed by the Gyalwa Karmapa in appreciation of the world and as a plea to those of us who inhabit the world to engender peace and happiness everywhere and to treat the world carefully so it will not be destroyed. The Aspiration for The Well-Being of Tibet composed by the Gyalwa Karmapa was chanted next, led by Umze Ozer Rabten, to a beautiful melody, also composed by His Holiness.

Three sounds on the gong heralded the simultaneous switching on of the lotus lamps by gelongs and gelongmas who had been taught by His Holiness how to switch them on in unison the evening before. This was joined by a burst of candles. The stupa mandala resembled a pure land beneath the full-moon. There was a great camaraderie and happiness between all the participants and a swell of emotion rose.

As the lotus lamps changed colours, fading from red through blue, green, yellow, and pink, His Holiness transmitted the Marme Monlam first in Tibetan, then in Chinese, and finally in English, and the assembly joined in chanting the prayer in the three languages to an enchanting and uplifting orchestral arrangement, again composed by His Holiness the Karmapa.

Closing prayers concluded the ceremony; the Gyalwa Karmapa, Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche, and Gyaltsab Rinpoche left, followed by the sangha members and lay disciples carrying their lights and candles high in the air. All participants circumambulated the stupa chanting Karmapa Khyeno in rousing tones and the 25th International Kagyu Monlam came to a successful end.

Distribution of free food and blankets: The Kagyu Monlam participants from Samye Ling Buddhist Centre in Scotland organized a distribution of bags of lentils for the poor and destitute. Women and children thronged noisily around the Mahayana Hotel from 6:00 a.m. in the morning waiting for the hand-out. Canadian members from Toronto, accompanying Lama Tashi Dondup, one of the main sponsors of this year's Monlam, organised an impromptu distribution of free blankets at the same time.

Medical camp: This was the final day of the medical camp organized by Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps.

The morning sun shone down brightly on the processing monks and on the crowd, as the procession wound its way the complete length of the outer circuit before returning down the steps to the Mahabodhi temple itself and back to the bodhi tree. The volumes of the Kangyur were then distributed to the different monasteries and sections of each volume, approximately ten pages, were allocated to individual monks, and the reading of the Kangyur began.

The Gyalwa Karmapa visits the Nyingma Monastery: After the morning session at the Mahabodhi temple, the Gyalwa Karmapa visited a Nyingma monastery which wass hosting getsuls and getsulmas (novice monks and nuns) for the midday meal. The Gyalwa Karmapa watched as the monks and nuns formed orderly lines as they queued for their lunch. He inspected that day's meal: rice and lentils. He also visited the small clinic, offering Tibetan and allopathic medicine, and talked with the staff. The clinic is run by the Kagyu Monlam medical team: Dr. Subatom from Nepal and a Tibetan doctor Amchi Drubgyu Tendar from Rumtek, Sikkim.

The Gyalwa Karmapa eats lunch with gelongs and gelongmas: During the Kagyu Monlam the gelongs and gelongmas have been keeping the sojong vows, so they do not eat after midday; lunch, their main meal, is served at Tergar monastery. After the morning session at the Mahabodhi temple, buses transfer the nuns and monks to Tergar monastery where they gather in the main hall, sit in long rows, and observe the new codes of conduct for sitting and eating. A team of Chinese Buddhist volunteers prepares, cooks, and serves the food each day as an offering and service to the sangha. Today the Gyalwa Karmapa joined them for lunch: rice, vegetable tempura, mixed vegetables, French fries, paneer, yoghurt, and fruit.

Medical camp: Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps moved back to Birla Mandir in Bodhgaya to conduct a further two days of free treatment.

Akshobhya fire puja: This was the conclusion of a week of the Akshobhya ritual, a powerful purification practice, which the Gyalwa Karmapa had been leading each afternoon at the Mahabodhi temple. The final ritual called, fire puja, was held in the main hall at Tergar monastery shortly after 9:00 p.m. and did not end until 12:30 a.m. The Gyalwa Karmapa was the vajra master. As a part of the ritual, the names of the deceased, written on paper, were burnt in a ritual fire. Only a few lamas were allowed to participate in the ceremony, those who had completed the retreat and kept sojong; other monks and the general public gathered outside and watched through the windows.

Press conference: At 11:30 a.m. the Gyalwang Karmapa held a press conference on the 25th International Kagyu Monlam at Tergar monastery. Twenty-eight reporters, photographers, and film crew representing fourteen different agencies and seven countries attended the conference. They received a package of information about the Kagyu Monlam in either English or Chinese. The Gyalwang Karmapa welcomed them and extended prayers and good wishes to all on behalf of the Kagyu Monlam.

Medical camp: This was the second day that the free camp staffed by Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps that was held in the village of Vinobapuri. The camp was set up in a local private school. On the first day 731 patients arrived. On the second day there were 826, and when the clinic finally closed in the evening, there were still about two hundred patients who had not been seen. Most of the patients were women and children; there were very few old people. Many of the children were suffering from conditions such as clubfoot and hernia which could easily be corrected by surgery. Many had distended bellies and bleached hair, both signs of malnutrition. Coughs, colds, earache, and worms were the most common complaints, and there were probable cases of tuberculosis. Sadly, several of the children had been severely disabled by polio. India has a major nationwide polio immunization drive each year, but it has not yet reached Vinobapuri. After a hard day working at the camp, the volunteers came to Tergar monastery to have a group photo taken with the Gyalwang Karmapa in the great hall. There was some confusion and much laughter when they were asked to say "cheese" by one of the photographers!

Rehearsals for the Marme Monlam: This year's Marme Monlam will be even more elaborate than before. Candles have been replaced by electric lights and the sangha will be given special lotus-shaped lights which change from pink through blue to green. The driving force behind these changes is the Gyalwang Karmapa. At 8:00 p.m. he came down to the main hall of Tergar monastery, where the gelongs and gelongmas had assembled, and personally conducted a rehearsal. First, the new lotus lights were distributed and everyone had to practice a synchronized switching on and off. Then groups representing the different languages: Tibetan, English, Chinese and Korean, performed their pieces, which they will sing during the Marme Monlam on Monday. Finally, everyone practiced the Marme Monlam Prayer to a new melody composed by His Holiness.

Furthermore, as the Monlam coincided with the year drawing to its closure, it provided an ideal opportunity to carefully examine and reflect on positive actions and wrongdoing committed over the year. Because of the sacredness of Bodhgaya, powerful purification was possible if faults were confessed sincerely.

By the same token, the power of merit accumulated in Bodhgaya was amplified, and it was an ideal place and time to accumulate merit from different activities. For example, the great gathering of the sangha made it possible to make offerings, the number of beggars and poor people made it possible to practise generosity, and it was important to dedicate that merit for the well-being of all sentient beings.

His Holiness asked the sangha specifically to reflect on why they were there, always to remember the teachings of the Buddha and the lineage masters, and to make the aspiration to follow their teachings to the best of their ability. He reminded them that the purpose of the code of conduct was not mere observance, but to feel their importance and internalize the attitudes that the behavior was designed to cultivate.

He reminded everyone that advanced knowledge of the Dharma was of little value without the development of loving-kindness and compassion. His Holiness then gave a short overview of The Heart Sutra before leading the first session of the Monlam prayers.

In the second session, the Gyalwa Karmapa continued the transmission of The Life of Milarepa and gave a commentary on the Green Tara practice before leading the chanting of the Twenty-One Praises to Tara to a melody he himself composed.

After lunch His Holiness led the Akshobhya ritual, and then returned to Tergar monastery for a hectic schedule of private audiences.

Medical Camp: The medical camp was held in the village of Vinobapuri, forty minutes from Bodhgaya. More than seven hundred people came. Several of those treated were suffering from serious illnesses but, once more, the majority of patients who presented themselves were suffering from diseases linked with poverty and malnutrition.

Evening teaching at Tergar monastery: This was the third and final evening of the Gyalwa Karmapa's teaching on The Fivefold Mahumudra.
Verse four reads:
If, in the vast sky of the nature of mind,
The clouds of concepts do not disperse,
The stars of the two wisdoms will not brightly shine.
So, earnestly focus on cultivating this non-conceptuality.
The Gyalwa Karmapa explained the metaphor. The empty nature of the mind is like the sky which is clear and pure; in the same way the mind is naturally pure. However it is clouded over by temporary defilements which obscure the view, so that we cannot see the stars. These defilements have to be cleared away in order for us to experience the pure nature of mind and its qualities. The practitioner of mahamudra rests in the nature of mind. All phenomena have two aspects: their specific characteristics and characteristics common to other phenomena. So all phenomena, not just mind, share the characteristic of not truly existing, of having a basic nature of emptiness. The nature of the mind, which is emptiness, and the emptiness of all phenomena are the same. Thus, if we are able to experience and understand the nature of the mind, we can experience the nature of all phenomena.

The Gyalwa Karmapa then elaborated further on the meaning of emptiness and the dependent arising of all appearances, and the practice of mahamudra.
Verse five reads:
If the wish-fulfilling jewel of the two accumulations
Is not polished with the aspiring mind,
The results you need and want will not arise.
So, earnestly focus your mind on this dedication.
Th Gyalwa Karmapa explained this verse briefly. He described how a wish-fulfilling jewel could be neglected so that it accumulated dust and dirt, and then it might even be forgotten so that its power was worthless. Yet, such a jewel needed to be polished so that it shone brightly and then it should be put on display for everyone to enjoy and benefit from it. Similarly, we needed to dedicate all our merit for all sentient beings so that everyone could benefit.

The Gyalwa Karmapa gave the transmission in Tibetan for the ngondro that he himself had written. He explained that, as the compiler of the text, he was the only one who could give this particular transmission. He then gave the transmission of the Mahamudra Aspiration Prayer composed by the Third Karmapa, followed by the transmission of several mantras. Finally he gave the transmission of The Fivefold Mahamudra in Tibetan, English, Chinese, and Korean. The audience really appreciated his efforts in doing this and each transmission was applauded enthusiastically.

In conclusion he thanked everyone for coming and apologized that the time pressure made only three days available for the teaching. He explained how happy he had been every night to see so many people with joy on their faces and smiling eyes; it was a sight he would never forget. He rose, stepped gracefully down from the throne, and left the hall smiling shyly and blessing everyone as he went.

[A full transcript of this teaching should be available early in 2008.]

 Medical Camp: More than a thousand people arrived for medical treatment at the camp. Staff reported that the majority of local patients were suffering from diseases associated with poverty; the result of sub-standard living conditions, lack of clean water, and especially malnutrition. Indeed, most of the patients were malnourished; the children especially were underweight and undersized for their age.

 Evening teaching at Tergar monastery: In the second part of a three-part series, the Gyalwa Karmapa continued his exposition of Kyobpa’s The Fivefold Mahamudra. He concentrated on verses two and three:
If your body, the king of the enlightened form,
Does not hold the throne of the unchanging basis,
Mother dakinis, the citizens, will not appear,
So, earnestly focus on seeing your body as the yidam deity.

 If, on the snow mountain, the lama of the four kayas,
The sun of devotion does not shine,
Streams of blessing will not flow.
So, earnestly focus on cultivating this devotion.

The Gyalwa Karmapa referred to the Tibetan idea that if something helps, it is of use. He reassured people that if the intention of helping existed, even if the action itself was not helpful, it was of value. In this context he explained that his own intention in living was to be of benefit to the world and, with this aim, he would try to continue to live in the world. He explained that he was deeply committed to helping those people whom he loved and those with whom he had a connection.

Moving on to the text, he explored the metaphor of the king and his court. He explained that in essence the aggregates are pure and unstained, but because of the tendency to grasp at things as solid, to see them as real in a samsaric way, we are unable to experience their natural purity, which is the deity. By meditating on a deity and generating the divine pride, it was possible to purify our view. He emphasized the importance of a clear and stable visualization along with a clear and stable divine pride, when practicing deity yoga. In meditation, colours and forms of the deity, clothing and accoutrements needed to be clear. (This could be very complicated and also difficult for people coming from a different culture who might not be familiar with these things.) His Holiness gave Tara as an example. In order for the visualisation of Tara to be vivid, it was necessary to know exactly what she looked like so that an image could be created in the mind. Yet, if we reflected on people we knew, when we thought of them, we didn’t see their whole body, but had a more general idea of what they looked like. Similarly, in deity meditation, the important thing was not so much precise detail as the sense of aliveness. Commenting on the third verse of the text, the Gyalwa Karmapa explained that using the image of the sun melting the snow on the mountains in Tibet, so that the streams flowed down, also was a metaphor. Devotion to the lama was like the power of the sun, and the streams were the blessings of the lama. He quipped that these days there was so much devotion that lamas were sweating profusely! Or, perhaps, he suggested mischievously, devotion was adding to the problem of global warming. More seriously, he explained that devotion meant seeing the qualities of the lama and implied trust. Devotion and trust in one’s lama was one of the most important factors for realizing the true nature of one’s mind. This could not be explained. It had to be experienced.

The evening concluded with the Gyalwa Karmapa conferring the bodhisattva vows.

 [A full transcript of these teachings should be available next year. This is not intended as a precise or complete record but as a taster.]

Medical Camp:  On the second day of the medical camp, the staff worked through from 8.30 a.m. until 5.00 p.m. in order to meet the growing needs. Word had spread through the community and more than 900 patients arrived, including many of the local children who were very eager to collect free pencil cases and lollipops but rather reluctant to take their medicine!

Evening Teaching at Tergar monastery: In the evening the Gyalwa Karmapa began a special three day teaching for foreign students. Nearly 2000 people gathered to listen to His Holiness teach on the text The Fivefold Mahamudra by Kyobpa. The teaching was scheduled to begin at 7.00 p.m. but by 5.00 p.m. queues had begun to form, and by 6.15 p.m. the great hall at Tergar monastery was chock-a-block; those arriving later were forced to sit outside on the veranda in the chilly night air. It was clear that the teaching had been carefully planned to reflect the needs of an international audience. As people arrived, they received a free copy of The Fivefold Mahamudra containing the text in Chinese, Korean, Tibetan, and English, and a leaflet of the opening prayers which were recited in Sanskrit, English, and Chinese. The teaching itself was translated into Chinese, English, Korean, and Russian. Five minutes before the Gyalwa Karmapa appeared, the chant master came and began to lead the Karmapa Khyenno (Karmapa, Think of me!). Everyone joined in and the sound of the mantra rose to fill the vast space.  His Holiness arrived promptly, walked briskly across the dais, prostrated gracefully three times, and greeted the audience warmly with folded palms before mounting the throne.

The first verse of The Fivefold Mahamudra reads:
If the stallion of love and compassion
Does not win the race of altruism
He will not earn the praise of the crowd of gods and humans,
So, earnestly focus your mind on this preliminary practice.

The Gyalwa Karmapa explained that this was a metaphor based on a Tibetan-style horse race, linking it with a Tibetan saying which tells people to study and practice Dharma with such speed that a hundred dogs will be unable to catch them. The horse in the race symbolizes loving kindness and compassion: the wish for all beings to be happy and the wish that all beings should be free of suffering. His Holiness emphasized that two things were essential in Dharma practice: to practice with effort and determination, and to be able to work to fulfil the purposes of other sentient beings. He advised that meditating on loving kindness and compassion generally might just result in ‘quite comfortable’ feelings; it was better for beginners to focus on generating loving kindness and compassion towards specific individuals, as this was much more difficult and therefore of greater benefit. He cited an amusing and vivid example: you can use a large piece of cloth to cover the heads of a crowd of people very easily, but making individual hats from the cloth is much more demanding. Not only do practitioners need to strive continually to broaden and increase their loving kindness and compassion, but then it has to be put it into action for the benefit of other sentient beings, not hidden away. Thus, the result of developing loving kindness and compassion should be manifest in the actions of body, speech, and mind. And, just as in a horse race, there would be obstacles to be avoided or overcome.

It was also essential to understand the goal, our destination, otherwise how could we ever get there?  If we tried to practice what we didn’t understand, for example a beginner attempting to practice dzokchen or mahamudra, it would create difficulties, not just for us but for our lamas too.  So Dharma practice should begin from the point we are at and gradually, step by step, as our understanding grows, lead us to enlightenment.

The Gyalwa Karmapa concluded the evening by conferring the refuge vows, emphasizing that in the future no one should take refuge in worldly things. True refuge is in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. He emphasised that, having taken refuge, the important thing was to do no harm, but work for the benefit of all sentient beings. As he left the platform, the congregation applauded loudly. He acknowledged this with a shy smile and a blessing, before disappearing into the wings and back upstairs to his private quarters on the roof.

When the Gyalwa Karmapa decided that the Kagyu Monlam should offer a medical camp, his sister, Chamsing Ngodrup Palzom, oversaw the preparations and Dr. Liu Chi-Chun from Taiwan, the founder and president of the Taiwan Root Medical Peace Corps, rose to the challenge of providing a medical team, medicine, and equipment. Dr. Liu Chi-Chun is very experienced in leading teams of doctors and nurses on mercy missions to different parts of Asia. He is already well-known in the Tibetan community for his medical camp every year in Dharamsala, which he organises in conjunction with Ngari Rinpoche, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's younger brother. Dr. Liu Chi-Chun has brought a team of 50 medical personnel, doctors, pharmacists, and nurses from Taiwan to conduct the camp. The camp offers allopathic medicine for a wide range of conditions, medical check-ups, and dentistry. A supporting team of Indian students from Fo Guang Shan Buddhist College are working voluntarily as translators for the medical team.

  The medical staff waited at the Birla Mandir with various guests assembled to greet the Gyalwa Karmapa. The guests included Mingyur Rinpoche, Gyaltong Rinpoche, Gen Tenzin of Namgyal branch monastery, and lamas representing the various Tibetan monasteries in Bodhgaya, Lama Chodrak who is the CEO of the Kagyu Monlam, Tibetan lay officials, and a small group of local Indian officials. After a brief inspection of the camp, during which the Gyalwa Karmapa met medical staff and some of the patients, he greeted the guests. Then the guests left for a special lunch at the Royal Residency Hotel, hosted by the Kagyu Monlam Organising Committee. The chief guests were Dr. Liu Chi-Chun, Master Hai Tao of Life TV, Taiwan, and the Venerable Hye Neung, Tibet House, Korea. In spite of an extremely demanding schedule, Pal Gyalwa Karmapa made the time to attend the lunch and distributed small souvenirs to all the guests personally.

The staff at the medical camp treated 488 patients on the first day. Additionally, they decided to forgo their lunchbreak so that the camp could be open throughout the day, in order for the monks and nuns, who are usually at the Mahabodhi Stupa at other times, to be able to attend more easily.

It was 5.15 a.m. and the dark streets of this small town, little more than a village, were alive with hundreds of people making their way through the predawn gloom to the Mahabodhi temple. Monks, nuns, and laypeople, both Tibetans and foreigners, thronged through the massive red Torii gates. Designed by His Holiness the Gyalwa Karmapa and engineered by Chokyi Gyatso, the gates were built by eight carpenters brought in especially for the occasion, and it took three months to complete them. For two whole days and nights, the carpenters worked nonstop to erect them in place at the entrance to the Mahabodhi site. These massive gates represent sanctuary.

Inside, the grounds of this ancient site had been transformed by a hundred thousand fairy lights hanging from the trees and walls surrounding the sanctuary. The multitude of small stupas had been garlanded with yellow and orange marigolds and small water pots containing marigold heads had been placed along the tops of the walls. Beneath the spreading branches of the bodhi tree was an array of magnificent butter sculptures, and behind the Gyalwa Karmapa?'s throne was a glorious mandala of the palace of Akshobya; all the beings contained within are bodhisattvas and the palace is created from precious stones.

By 5.30 a.m. most of the sangha, more then 4000, were seated and waiting, huddled in their cloaks against the morning cold. Gelongs (fully ordained monks) sat at the front and gelongmas (fully ordained nuns) sat behind them. Then came the getsuls (novice monks) and behind them the getsulmas (novice nuns). Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche and Khenchen Yongzin Thrangu Rinpoche were seated to the left and right of the Gyalwa Karmapa?'s throne. Approximately 2000 laypeople sat in designated areas, on the walls, and grass banks surrounding the main temple.

The sound of a police siren heralded the arrival of the Gyalwa Karmapa and the sangha rose, donned their yellow robes and stood waiting under the bodhi tree as His Holiness entered the site to the ceremonial sound of gyalings.  He circumambulated the stupa and took his place at the head of the assembly, a powerful presence, unshakeable and grounded in stability. He immediately presided over the 24-hour sojong vows, a practice which accumulates merit and removes negative karma, so that the ceremony could be finished before the sun rose. In the context of sojong, he explained that the important thing was to try to do positive deeds and to examine all our thoughts and actions. Then, following His Holiness?' new additions to the Monlam prayers, the assembly chanted the refuge and bodhichitta prayers, the Heart Sutra and other verses from the sutras in Sanskrit. The ancient chants rose on the chilly morning air, connecting all those there to the dawn of Buddhism.

Again, His Holiness gave a short commentary on refuge and on bodhichitta, explaining the importance of pure motivation: the motivation in taking refuge should extend beyond a wish for well-being in this life; it needed to be seen as an aspiration for future lives and should include the aspiration for liberation from samsara and ultimate enlightenment. He advised people who couldn?'t yet keep the bodhisattva vows to make an aspiration to be able to take them and keep them in the future.

His Holiness led the prayers from the Kagyu Monlam Prayer Book, the Twenty-Branch Kagyu Monlam Chenmo, originally composed by the Seventh Karmapa, Chodrak Gyatso, and had now reformulated by the Seventeenth Karmapa, according to the example of that earlier time and reviving t